Sri Lanka have made two significant changes to their squad for the second Test against India in Colombo after Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis were ruled out injured.
Chandimal sustained a concussion during the first Test at Galle, while Mendis was sidelined with a hamstring problem that kept him out of the opening match entirely.
Uncapped players Kamil Mishara and Sahan Arachchige have been drafted into the squad, both picked on the strength of recent domestic performances.
Arachchige’s selection follows a strong showing for Sri Lanka A against India A, where he scored 127.
Sri Lanka’s pace attack for the second Test features Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando and Milan Ratnayake, backed by spinners Prabath Jayasuriya and Keshara Nuwantha.
The reshuffle comes with Sri Lanka 0-1 down in the two-match series after India’s 165-run victory at Galle, with opener Pathum Nissanka also missing as he recovers from wrist surgery.
Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar finished with a 10-wicket haul across the match at Galle, the standout bowling performance of the opening Test of the series.
The second Test will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo, starting August 23, a venue with different conditions to the spin-friendly pitch used at Galle.
With two experienced middle-order batters unavailable, both uncapped call-ups could find themselves in line for their Test debuts when the Colombo match gets under way.
India go into the Colombo Test already holding a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, meaning a win or draw would be enough to seal a series victory.
The Galle Test was the opening fixture of India’s tour of Sri Lanka, with both sides having fielded largely unchanged squads before the injury disruptions that followed.
Sri Lanka’s selectors have historically leaned on domestic performances to fill sudden squad gaps, a pattern repeated again with the call-ups of Mishara and Arachchige for this Test.
Photo by Price Zero, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Discover more from Times Release
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.